SCO 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



toes? Certainly, and with as much relish as bipeds, 

 men, women, and chickens. 



That the coarse wild grass of the prairies makes 

 as good flavored yellow butter as either the white or 

 red clover, or June grass (agrostis) of the dairy 

 regions of New York, perhaps even Mr. Brackett 

 does not believe. More than one woman has written 

 from the all fertile Kansas prairies that perfect but- 

 ter cannot be made there. 



Indian Corn and Sorghxtm. — Com has improved 

 much in ihe last three weeks. Although the long 

 cool nights have been a great drawback to the unfil- 

 led ears, the prospect is now fair for a middling crop 

 of corn. 



Sorghum has triumphed over the spleen of its con- 

 servative enemies; and if it will ripen in this region, 

 this cold wet season, it will in any other season. I 

 measured stalks to-day twelve feet to the top of the 

 seed panicle, which is now turning brown, this 9 th 

 September. The ratoons are not as tall as the main 

 stalks, but they generally bear seed. The maximum 

 thickness of the stalks is 1| inches in diameter, but 

 when planted to stand less than sis inches apart, in 

 the four foot rows, an inch only is attained, and the 

 suckers will be less. Thus far the juice is no sweeter 

 than that of sweet corn stalks, but much more 

 abundant. That planted tenth May, seeded a week 

 earlier than that planted first June. A few trans- 

 plants are now full size. 



Potatoes. — There is a general complaint that the 

 vines of late planted potatoes are prematurely dying, 

 and the rot is increasing. I planted some Mexicans 

 on a well manured sandy knoll, which are now so 

 rotten that they are not worth digging. Blue Mer- 

 cers are yet unripe, with dead vines. Inferior round 

 potatoes escape the rot better. 

 ^ Making and Saving Manure. — Throw potato or 

 pumpkin vines, or any other vegetable refuse, on the 

 top of the ground, and it is soon lost in the air, its 

 ashes excepted; but put them in the hog pen or a 

 calf pen, and you soon have a quantity of manure 

 that will make your back ache to throw out. It is 

 said in Rhode Island, that every hog makes seven 

 dollars worth of manure yearly; and yet who in 

 Western New York ever heard a Western farmer 

 deduct anything from the cost of an animal's keep- 

 ing by giving credit for the manure it makes? On 

 the drift formations at the Eiist, where they have but 

 little vegetable refuse to compost, a kind Providence 

 has given to almost every detritus farm its swamp, 

 the muck from which abounds in plant food, which 

 to be made truly available, must be composted with 

 the unfermented manure of the stable, or the still 

 more nitrogenous fish or dead animals, by wiich 

 means all the organic matter of the pile is held, by 

 chemical afiinity, ready for the use of growing plants. 

 I asked a farmer, the othe;.' day, if he did not reflect 

 that every load of distillery slop that he hauled home 

 was worth more than three loads of fire-fanged sta- 

 ble manure? He replied that he had never thought 

 of it before, but it " stood to reason." He, however, 

 had noticed that the poorest knolls in his field, when 

 slop was fed out, soon became black and muddy, and 

 would hardly become dry in the hotiest sun. Such 

 is the invariable effect of nitrogen, particularly on 

 those alluminous soils, which are so quick to dry up 

 and bake when wet with water only. The scrapings 

 from those ammoniated knolls would be the best of 

 manure for wheat 



The Coming State Fair at Buffalo, 9 to 12th 

 October. — Great preparations are making at BufiFa- 

 lo, to accommodate the State Fair aa its increased 

 magnitude requires. The last State Fair at Bufialo 

 was the best up to that date, and an earnest 

 is now given that a greater display, or, as the French 

 say, exposition, will be made there this year than 

 ever. As hberal premiums are offered to all out- 

 siders, Canada, Ohio, and the whole lake region will 

 be well represented. S. W. 



Waterloo, Sept. ' 10th, '57. 



GOOD SHEEP THE MOST PROFnABLE. 



Many farmers when they want to purchase a flock 

 of sheep, enquire of A. B. and C. who has sheep to 

 sell. 



" Well, Jim has a beautiful flock of sheep, and I 

 heard him say that he would sell a few of them to a 

 farmer that would improve them and give the re- 

 sult to his brother farmers through the medium of 

 the Genesee Farmer." 



" What price does Jim ask for them?" 



" Five dollars per head." 



"Outrageous! Jim has no conscience! I won't 

 pay such a price for sheep anyhow.'' 



" Well, Jack has some sheep to sell." 



" What does he ask for his sheep?" 



" One dollar per head." 



" What kind of sheep are they?" 



" Well, rather small, but they have been starved." 



" Well, I'll go and see them ; I can feed them up." 



And, sure enough, there he comes, driving hia 

 little runts home, and carrying one of them in his 

 arms. 



Before spring one-half of them are dead, and the 

 other half are so lean that they have no milk, and 

 their lambs are starving. The foolish man hangs hia 

 head, and mutters " rotten sheep." 



Mr. Lookout comes to Jim and says, " III give you 

 25 dollars for five of your best ewes, and promise to 

 show the best pen of sheep at the next County 

 Fair." 



" Tou shall have them." 



" How can I get them home? They are so fat 

 that if I run them they will melt. I'll take them 

 home in my sleigh. Don't catch them by the wool; 

 it will injure the sheep. Take hold of the hind leg, 

 and I will put my arm under her neck. Don't hurt 

 her. Be cautious. Don't turn her over. Another 

 and another is caught, with the same caution- 



The winter is past, and the spring has come, and 

 what a beautiful sight! Five large ewes and ten fat 

 lambs. 



" Mr. Lookout, what will you take for your 

 lambs?" 



" Don't want to sell them, sir." 



" Well, what are they worth?" 



" Twenty dollars." 



Shearing time has come. 



" What amount of wool did your brag sheep 

 shear?" 



" Twenty pounds." 



" What did you get for it?" 



" Thirty cents per pound." 



" A very good investment, Mr. Lookout." 



Brother farmers, I leave it with yourselves to de- 

 cide who made the best purchase; Mr. Lookout or 

 his brother farmer. Jol 



